Very unusual chick, Guinea / chicken hybrid!!

[bemba]

Well since I last posted these guys have had a major growth spurt! Big kids now outside with no heat lamp

It's summer here but they still insist it's cold at night even when it's boiling hot and cram that tight together I don't know how they stand it

And here's a close up of that gorgeous face

Their mother is laying again too so maybe some more hybrids soon

 

[saz326]

.....Some people may not like this next comment but I would love to know the answer. Do they taste more like chicken or guinea?

it could be a gastronomical extravaganza


Sarah.

 

[bemba]

I'm not sure Sarah and I'm not going to find out either

But in all seriousness there was a period there where they were trying to make them a new table bird, but it was unsuccessful, not many hatch making it unviable. Unlike Muscovy/mallard mules which were and still are a success to the meat industry and unfortunately to the foie gras industry (which is basically diseased duck livers)

 

[saz326]

It looks like with their slim bodies and long necks they would be too hard to catch anyway

 

[MrsMellyB]

That one in the photo, second one up from the bottom, clear at the top of your box looks like a Kildeer chick.

 

[MrsMellyB]

I have a young Rhody Roo (I call him Goofy Foot for his huge feet, knock knees, and overall strange personality). He and three Helmeted Guineas have been CONSTANT companions since I brought a flock of mixed birds home when they were a month old... Yesterday I saw Goof, who is now about 5-6 mos old try to mount one of the Guineas... Perhaps if I can locate the eggs in the spring, I will get some of these strange ones too...

Is there any way to tell Guinea HEN from Cock???

 

[Hippifan]

Wow, how nice is this! I will follow this thread, cause I'm very curious to the result!

 

[Nickeyo]

Oh my gawd, they look awesome, I want some. Can we have some pics of them up and about please

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Well since I last posted these guys have had a major growth spurt! Big kids now outside with no heat lamp

It's summer here but they still insist it's cold at night even when it's boiling hot and cram that tight together I don't know how they stand it

And here's a close up of that gorgeous face

Their mother is laying again too so maybe some more hybrids soon

Wow I wish it was summer here. Our summers last about a week. I have been on this planet for 40 years now and yet I always act surprised how cold it gets here in winter. Like I've not been here for every single winter and so I should expect it. But my Guineas are keeping warm in their little red barn with their little heat lamp. They are only about two and a half months yet , not even quite more like two months and a week, so I don't dare let them get cold. Its been bitterly cold here at night so all my birds have supplemental heat. They free range all day with access to thier barns and lamps all day and I threw down straw in their pen so they wouldn't have to stand on icy ground. The keets continue to amaze me with how fast they are growing. I have heard several little girls Buckwheat so far and by my estimation there are 7 girls and 4 boys. I am trying to work up the courage to band their little legs so I can tell one from another should one get hurt or have medical problems that I need to know which one to watch. I didn't like the idea of banding them with the great big plastic poultry bands so I bought little rubber bands in the hair section of Walmart. The little Orthodontic sized ones but colored so after I band them I can identify each one and track their individual progress better. As always I still love your little guys they are a little bit younger than minebut not by much. They are just beautiful birds. And so family oriented. I love to watch them clean each other while perched. I never get tired of it. Take care of those gorgeous babies and yourself.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I have a young Rhody Roo (I call him Goofy Foot for his huge feet, knock knees, and overall strange personality). He and three Helmeted Guineas have been CONSTANT companions since I brought a flock of mixed birds home when they were a month old... Yesterday I saw Goof, who is now about 5-6 mos old try to mount one of the Guineas... Perhaps if I can locate the eggs in the spring, I will get some of these strange ones too...

Is there any way to tell Guinea HEN from Cock???

The only real way to tell is by their call. The female will make a call that sounds like it is saying Buckwheat, buckwheat where the males make sort of a one syllable call. You can find examples of the calls on Youtube if Iyou search for Guinea Calls. Also I am told the helmet of the male will stand taller, but I never noticed this with our pair. Unless they were standing together I couldn';t tell them apart. Originally I had thought that the ones with white wingtips could be a pointer but another friend of mine who has guineas on this forum (Hi Starkasm

) has said this doesn't tell them apart. My male and female had very different personalities. The male wouldget alot closer to me when i fed them but the female would never get within ten feet of me. Also when they started nesting the male Gru would attack my poor dog. The female was a lot more docile and timid. Good luck with your birds, I am always looking for a better way to tell them apart too.